Simpler treatment options could help millions of infants who lack access to hospital care

On Thursday, April 2, experts will share new evidence to be published in The Lancet and The Lancet Global Health with the potential to save thousands of newborn lives with low cost, effective and commonly available antibiotics. Almost a quarter of the three million neonatal deaths annually are the result of severe infections like sepsis - a fast progressing life-threatening illness in newborns that requires rapid treatment. Newborn sepsis can be difficult for families and even clinicians to recognize in newborns, who rapidly decline without timely and appropriate treatment.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Acting Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance Thomas H. Staal and USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance's Director Jeremy Konyndyk will accompany U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power who will lead the U.S. Delegation to attend the third High-Level International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria in Kuwait City, Kuwait on March 31.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant to the Administrator for Africa Eric Postel will accompany Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield to Nigeria on March 27, 2015.

The White House announced that the U.S. Government will make up to $800 million available to support a New Development Partnership with Afghanistan. The initiative will help Afghanistan achieve self-reliance and reinforce our commitment to results and accountability by linking funds to specific reforms in combating corruption, promoting rule of law, strengthening women’s rights, and enhancing private sector growth.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator for Asia Jonathan Stivers will travel to Burma and Vietnam to meet with government officials, a wide range of civil society organizations, and business leaders in both countries.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Acting Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance Thomas H. Staal will travel to Sendai, Japan from March 14 to 18 to participate in the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. Staal will lead the U.S. delegation composed of eight U.S. government agencies and participate in high level events and meetings with leaders from foreign governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and major groups.

Officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), including Chief Innovation Officer Steven VanRoekel and Executive Director of the U.S. Global Development Lab Ann Mei Chang, will deliver a presentation at South By Southwest (SXSW) Interactive in Austin, Texas on March 13. The presentation provides an overview of how USAID has mobilized science, technology, and innovation in the fight against Ebola and how this approach can be used to address other pressing challenges in the developing world. The presentation will feature a live demonstration of a new protective health care worker suit, a winner of USAID’s Fighting Ebola: A Grand Challenge for Development.

Competition seeks innovations to improve water and food security, gender equality to receive up to $3 million in funding and acceleration support

Today at the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (MFA-NL) announced the third call for groundbreaking innovations underSecuring Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development. This $12.5 million global call for proposals has an increased focus on cutting-edge, advanced technologies and business models, as well as innovations that prioritize the engagement of women. As part of USAID's new Middle East Water Security Initiative, an additional $2.5 million will be available for innovations implemented in the MENA region.

The White House announced a new initiative today to expand its efforts to help adolescent girls worldwide get a quality education through an initiative called “Let Girls Learn.” The new initiative will elevate existing programs and public-private partnerships, seek out new ones, and challenge organizations and governments to commit resources to lift up adolescent girls across the globe.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today announced Ariel Pablos-Mendez as Child and Maternal Survival Coordinator, to focus on the goal of ending preventable child and maternal deaths. Katie Taylor, who has served as interim Coordinator, is named Deputy Coordinator.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the $18.7 million Education Crisis Response program today to assist the Government of Liberia in restoring basic education in the Ebola-affected country and help return children to school safely. The program was announced today while Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf visited with staff from USAID.

The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, led by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), launched its next six-year strategy to further reduce malaria deaths and substantially decrease malaria illness, toward the long-term goal of elimination at the White House today.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Acting Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia Susan Fritz will travel to Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia from February 20 - March 5. Acting Assistant Administrator Fritz's visit will include meetings with government officials, civil society, international partners, and USAID staff in these countries.

This Thursday, February 12, Dr. Rajiv Shah will deliver his final speech as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) at an event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute and the Center for American Progress. For the past five years Administrator Shah has led USAID in its mission to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies. During this time Administrator Shah has led key development initiatives, including Feed the Future, Power Africa, the U.S. Global Development Lab, and efforts to end preventable child and maternal deaths. Administrator Shah will discuss his tenure at USAID with John Norris of the Center for American Progress and Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute.

Innovations support current Ebola response and future epidemic preparedness

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today additional nominees for awards in the Fighting Ebola: a Grand Challenge for Development. A collaborative expert review identified 12 innovations that can reinforce the response to current and future Ebola outbreaks.

Our nation’s life-saving response to the worst Ebola epidemic in history represents an impressive display of American values, commitment, and ingenuity. Even as the headlines have slowed, the tireless work of thousands of frontline health care workers and disasters responders has not. In a year marked by an unprecedented number of humanitarian crises—from South Sudan to Syria— we remain committed to providing help in an emergency, regardless of danger or difficulty. It is one of the most profound expressions of who we are as the American people.

Today, the Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development partners launched their fifth call for groundbreaking, sustainable innovations to save the lives of mothers and newborns in the hardest to reach corners of the world. The latest round is part of a $50 million program expansion to build upon and accelerate Saving Lives at Birth’s investment in innovative prevention and treatment ideas and approaches that aim to reduce infant and maternal mortality and prevent stillbirth around the time of birth.

The 2015 National Security Strategy, released today by President Obama, demonstrates that global development is a key pillar of our national security and prosperity. As the Strategy says, “the United States is safer and stronger when fewer people face destitution, when our trading partners are flourishing, and when societies are freer.”

Innovative, scalable solutions to impact children in developing countries

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with World Vision and the Australian Government, announced today 14 grantees for the second call of All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development. Innovators across the world were selected for their low-cost, technology-based solutions and programs that confront fundamental literacy issues and empower children to read.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today announced a partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association to promote education, address the needs of children with disabilities, and combat domestic violence in the Dominican Republic.